Talk Radio News Service: News, Politics, Media

By Mariko Lamb - Talk Radio News Service

The Council on Foreign Relations’ Independent Task Force, a bipartisan group of leaders in immigration, education, homeland security, labor, business, and human rights, issued a U.S. Immigration Policy Report Wednesday to urge President Obama and Congress to adopt new immigration reform legislation.

“I simply don’t see how we can say that we are a country of diversity, a welcoming country, a country that respects the worth and dignity of the individual, and not have a comprehensive, depthful, thoughtful immigration program,” said Thomas McLarty, Task Force Co-Chair and former White House Chief of Staff. He assured that “getting our immigration policy right strengthens our economy.”

Richard Land, President of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, said the U.S. has not made progress in immigration reform because “there are people who have benefited from exploiting cheap labor and undocumented workers, and they have a vested interest in it not getting fixed.”

Project Director Edward Alden and others on the Task Force emphasized the economic contributions that immigrants bring to the U.S. “There is often this very static notion of the economy that anyone using services is inevitably a drain, without thinking about the contributions that these people are bringing to the U.S. economy,
which is extraordinary,” said Alden.

In March, the Task Force reintroduced the DREAM Act to Congress. This act provides for a system of earned legalization for illegal immigrants currently living in the U.S. The report also addresses the need to balance national security with acceptance of immigrants, enforce a stricter employer verification system of
employees, expand and fine-tune border enforcement and establish an independent commission to streamline the immigration system.